She backed against the wall, intimidated, though not by any physical force, just her own personal fears. He wasn't really contemplating actually talking to her about this? He sat calmly in a chair across the room. She tried to back closer to the wall, but found she couldn't.
"Castle, I'm not ready for this." She pleaded.
"Kate, we need to talk. I don't care if you're not ready. We have to."
"I- no. Castle. I don't want to." She was trying to keep composure on the outside, so he couldn't see her falling apart on the inside.
"Don't you want to move on?" he questioned.
"Yeah. But I don't know what to say."
"Start with, you heard me."
"You know about that?" she asked. How? She'd covered it up so well, or so she'd thought.
"You're not a great liar."
Exposed, the words tumbled freely out of her mouth, "Well yeah, I heard you. And I so badly wanted to act on it but I was just so unsure. I didn't know whether that was just something you'd said on the spur of the moment? Did you actually mean it? And then I was healing and it hurt to even think sometimes. So I just buried it in the back of my head and forced myself to believe I could forget them, that that would help. That's why I didn't call you, over those 3 months. It hurt to think, let alone talk. So for the first month I was stopped by not being physically able to talk, the second month, I was scared and still trying to figure everything out. And then I was just guilty and I just couldn't. Rick?"
She stopped talking and watched his face, as the puzzle pieces of comprehension fell into place on his face. His eyes flitted up to meet hers and he nodded slightly, a signal to continue talking.
"That kiss, undercover, I remember that vividly. I pretended it didn't matter, because I was with Josh. Yeah him, we broke up after I talked to the boys about what had happened when I was gone, they let slip about what had happened in the waiting room. He hit you Castle!" she continued her ramblings, suddenly empowered by the thought, that now she'd started, she couldn't go back.
"Anyway, he was gone before I left. Serena Kay, she bothered me, but it really put things in perspective. I went home that night to think. And I came up with a few things. I think I'm ready, but there are a few problems. I'm ready but have you changed your mind?"
He seemed startled by her sudden end of ramblings.
"Kate, I've never changed my mind. Ever since I met you." He said sincerely and got up from his chair slowly.
"That long." she drew in a shaky breath and inwardly shuddered at the seemingly insurmountable thought. "And would you leave me, when I got boring and a new bustier, leggy blonde came along?"
"You could never get boring. And I'd never leave you." He promised, as he walked slowly towards her, until he was right in front of her, his breath tickling her neck.
"Oh wait I might." He said, and her face blanched and she pushed him away from her, disgusted that she'd let him that close.
"But Hell would have to freeze over first." He continued. He waited as his words sunk in and a smile slowly slinked onto her face.
"Ever the writer." She laughed.
"Gotta stay in practise, or ill lose my touch."
They flew to each other then, lips locking in a passionate embrace. Suddenly the room burst into applause. Wait- what?
"Bout time!" Esposito called. They flew away from each other quickly.
"We're at a party?" she hissed.
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"I completely forgot."
But they both couldn't have cared less. They both turned to each other and continued where they left off. Screw the consequences.